Baroque opera, once
we moderns come to accept it as oratorio rather than
musical drama like its nineteenth century
descendent, is a treasure trove. French baroque—Lully, Marais, Rameau, Charpentier—is harmonically
rich and sweet, full of the spirt of dance and
ceremony. But it also has a deliciously expressive
and sensuous melancholy that escapes the operas of
German/English Handel and Italian Vivaldi, who excel
instead in melody and esprit. This particular
quality of French baroque comes out as much in how
the instruments are played as it does in the how the
texts are sung.

Lully's Atys (1676)
pretty much began French baroque opera and has
remained a touchstone. Heard here with a gallery of
the best singers of the time of the recording (1987)
and led by the dean of the genre, American William
Christie, who moved to France in 1970 to study and
perform this music, it is a rapturous success. It
has long been one of my favorite vinyl recordings.
Harmonia Mundi have reissued it here on CD with a
full libretto and handsome booklet, in celebration
of the 30th birthday of Christies's group of singers
and period instrumental musicians, Les Ars
Florissants.

Christie and LAF made
numerous visits to the US in the 1980's, mainly to
the Brooklyn Academy of Music, to do full staged and
costumed performances of several French baroque
operas in an effort to restore to modern musical
experience an aesthetic form lost to us for
centuries. (He did a performing edition of Henry
Purcell's The
Fairie Queene in
Boston's Jordan Hall that was the most moving
musical experience I've ever had.) Christie made
these trips to the US in the belief that unless we
heard this music 'live' so we could immerse
ourselves in the world it creates, there was no way
we could begin to apprehend its lyrical power. To
get past the artificiality of the form alone is a
challenge for most of us who are not students of
baroque music. You have to hear through the
elaborate artifice, suspend disbelief; and Christie
believed that would require a restoration of the
'live' experience. I think he underestimated us, but
who knows? The performances at BAM were a huge
commercial success, and the end result of his work
is that baroque opera has become a going concern for
the recording world for a generation now. That Harmonia Mundi can release recordings of most of
Handel's operas and Opus 111/naive virtually all of
Vivaldi's operas is probably a tribute to the
groundwork done by Christie.

I think Harmonia
Mundi chose the right recording to reissue and urge
especially those of you for whom this genre remains
exotic and alien to have a taste.

This is a reissue of
an extremely well received recording of two of
Dvořák's most popular quartets by the 'original'
Talich Quartet, which evolved into the 'new' Talich
Quartet around a decade ago, when the senior Jan
Tallich (violist) retired and the younger Jan
Tallich (first violin) took over. I could tell 'the
why' of this reissue after just a few notes. This
original group is a more beautiful sounding
ensemble, and the analogue tape from which this new
re-release is made reinforces this quality. This is
a truly lovely sounding CD, which probably compares
favorably with its vinyl original released in 1976.
The new Tallichs are a more vibrant and exciting
ensemble. I love vibrancy and excitement but beauty
gets me every time. These are probably performances
the composer would recognize and favor, but who
knows?

The 'American'
Quartet was
composed in the U.S. the same year (1893) as
Dvořák's justly famous and admired Symphony
No. 9 'For
the New World,' and has much the same feel to
it. The composer claims its vision is more rural
than that of the symphony. Quartet
No. 11 was
written two years earlier back home in
Czechchoslovakia.

For those unfamiliar
with his work, Dvořák has a characteristic sound,
which comes through in the lyrical quality of the
writing and in an overall 'lightness of being.' He
has the spirit of a romantic but a classical love of
clear textures and lithe movement. Even his passion
is notable for its grace.

It is easier to
prefer the dark richness of Brahms and the high
energy and balletic verve of Tchaikovsky, Dvořák's
principal contemporary peers, and CD sales figures
and concert listings tell us that many do. Dvořák is
often lost in the romantic crowd. But his body of
work—especially the late symphonies, cello
concerto, and chamber music—is among the best.

This is extremely
enjoyable music, wonderfully played, and at
mid-price a true bargain as well.

To my musically
enthusiastic but unschooled ears, English
renaissance choral music is less refined and a bit
more earthly than its European counterpart. It took
me some time away from the ultra-refined Tallis
Scholars, who tend to etherealize everything they
sing (to great effect) from either side of the
Channel, to come to this view. I enjoy and admire
Flemish Josquin and Italian Palestrina, as I should.
But William Byrd calls emotionally in ways his
continental peers don't quite. And as performed by Carwood's (who himself sings with the Tallis
Scholars these days!), ensemble, Byrd has even more
than his customary appeal.

Unless you know
Latin, renaissance choral music is essentially
instrumental music for the voice. It is also music
that is more abstract than melodic, moving lines of
harmonic sound which suggests melody
but resist its directness of appeal. It is music we
must go to and ride with; it seldom comes to us.
With Byrd, I have always found this easier than with
many others, perhaps for the reason I began this
note with: Byrd's conception of religious meaning as
conveyed by music is more appealing than exalted.

Carwood's group has
dedicated itself primarily to recording English
music for over twenty years now, having given us
substantial editions of Nicholas Ludford, William
Cornish, Robert Fayrfax, and the first nine volumes
of their Byrd edition all on ASV before moving to
Hyperion. The Byrd Edition has now reached twelve
volumes, the most recent three for Hyperion.

Bob Neill, in
addition to being an occasional equipment and
regular music reviewer for Positive- Feedback
Online, is also proprietor of Amherst Audio in
Amherst, Massachusetts, which sells equipment from
Audio Note, Blue Circle, and JM Reynaud, among
others.